A Houston attorney representing plaintiffs who allege hip-hop entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs engaged in sexual abuse and exploitation now faces a pair of lawsuits in Louisiana accusing the lawyer of negligently or fraudulently withholding settlement funds.
But attorney Anthony Buzbee of the Buzbee Law Firm said the two cases – filed this month in the Eastern District of Louisiana – were efforts to smear his reputation as Buzbee moves forward on representing clients who accuse Combs of abuse and emotional manipulation and raise questions about potential sex trafficking.
“... The cases themselves are frivolous,” Buzbee told the Louisiana Record. “Both clients approved by affidavit every penny we spent in their cases and also approved of the fees charged. We charged the standard fee, no more.”
He also said he had evidence that the two lawsuits, which were both filed by Mississippi attorneys Timothy Porter and Kelley Berry, were related to litigation filed against Combs in an effort to disparage him and his law firm, which is known for filing lawsuits against celebrities and corporations.
“We have caught New York investigators on tape several times illegally calling our clients and illegally offering them money to sue our firm,” Buzbee said. “This is all related to the Diddy litigation in New York as an effort to discredit our firm.”
He provided the following excerpts from the transcript of the tape recordings:
“Investigator: ‘In a couple of days or maybe by next week, anyone Googling Buzbee and his company – his practice – are going into litigation. Okay? … What we're trying to do is, we are trying (to) put this thing together for the company that we're working for … We could get you paid … you could get money right soon, you know? … At the end of the day, this is going to go through the courts, Buzbee is getting sued …’”
The Buzbee Law Firm’s website says the civil litigation against Combs is helping to empower abuse victims to take on powerful figures in the entertainment industry.
“Public figures are increasingly being held responsible for their actions, and the legal system is slowly adapting to prioritize the voices of victims,” the firm states.
In one of the federal lawsuits filed against Buzbee, plaintiff Matthew Ray Thompson Jr. of Jefferson Parish accuses the law firm of breach of fiduciary duties and fraud. The Buzbee Law Firm enriched itself by overstating its expenses and commandeered 60% of Thompson’s settlement in a lawsuit based on the Jones Act. That 1920 law passed by Congress offers a procedure for seamen injured on the job due to employer negligence.
“Buzbee has become rich by milking settlements with threats of negative attention from people who rely on their public reputations for livelihood,” the lawsuit states. “Mr. Thompson, who has worked as a deckhand much of his adult life, was impressed by Mr. Buzbee’s public persona, so he hired him as his lawyer.”
The other lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of plaintiff Adam Guidry, also involved a maritime injury settlement. The complaint argues that the Lafourche Parish resident’s case was worth $1 million due to Guidry sustaining a severe injury, but the Buzbee firm later “coerced him” into a settlement worth about $325,000. The lawsuit alleges counts of unjust enrichment and negligence.
Despite the six-figure settlement, Guidry received only $5,123.19, according to the complaint.
“The Buzbee defendants rely on Tony Buzbee’s quasi-celebrity status to lure Louisiana residents, such as Guidry, to The Buzbee Law Firm,” the lawsuit says. “Tony Buzbee draws attention to himself and his firm by representing and suing celebrities, by broadcasting his wealth on social media, and, recently, by parking a WWII tank in front of his home in an affluent Houston neighborhood,” the lawsuit says.